Sunday
Morning Bible Study
March
13, 2011
Introduction
Do people see Jesus? Is the gospel
preached? Does it speak to the broken hearted? Does it build up the church? Milk
– Meat – Manna Preach for a decision
Jesus is on His
last evening with the disciples.
He's been giving them lots of instruction, preparing them for the tough
days ahead.
And now He stops to pray.
17:6-19 Jesus prays
for His disciples
:9 “I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You
have given Me, for they are Yours.
:9 I pray – erotao
– to question; to ask; to request, entreat, beg, beseech
This prayer is not what Jesus prays for the world, but what He prays for
His disciples.
:10 And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them.
:11 Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come
to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that
they may be one as We are.
:11 no longer
in the world
Jesus would no longer be in the world. He would be leaving and going to
heaven.
The disciples would still be in the world.
:11 keep – tereo –
to attend to carefully, take care of; expresses watchful care and is suggestive
of present possession
We are “kept” through God’s name
How does this work?
:11 that they may be one
This is the goal of being “kept” – unity
:12 While I was
with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have
kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture
might be fulfilled.
:12 kept – phulasso –
to guard; to watch, keep watch; to guard a person (or thing) that he may remain
safe; indicates safe custody and often implies assault from without
:12 is lost – apollumi
– to destroy; to put out of the way entirely, abolish, put an end to ruin;
metaph. to devote or give over to eternal misery in hell; to perish, to be
lost, ruined
:12 perdition – apoleia
– from apollumi – destroying,
utter destruction; a perishing, ruin; the destruction which consists of eternal
misery in hell
:12 is lost …
perdition
In Greek, the two words are related. You might translate this, “none of them is lost
except the son of lostness”
This phrase is
also used to describe the antichrist:
(2 Th 2:3
NKJV)
Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the
falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of
perdition,
:12 that the
Scripture might be fulfilled
Judas being a
betrayer was the fulfillment of Scripture. We saw this back in John 13
–
(Jn 13:18 NKJV) “I
do not speak concerning all of you. I know whom I have chosen; but that the
Scripture may be fulfilled, ‘He who eats bread with Me has lifted up his heel
against Me.’
:13 But now I
come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy
fulfilled in themselves.
:13 fulfilled
– pleroo – to make full, to fill up, to
fill to the top; fill to the brim
Lesson
Don’t miss the joy
We’re going to be talking about “holiness” this morning.
The problem
that we often have with “holiness” is that we get stuck on the concept that
“holiness” is all about not being able to do some things that make us “happy”.
There is a kind of “happiness” that comes from the things of this world.
We find “pleasure” in all sorts of things, some things are good, some
things can destroy us.
“Many pleasurable
experiences are associated with satisfying basic biological drives, such as eating, exercise or sex. Other pleasurable experiences are
associated with social experiences and social drives, such as the experiences
of accomplishment, recognition, and service.
The appreciation of cultural artifacts and activities such as art, music, and literature is often pleasurable.”
There is a biological component to
“pleasure”. When you do certain things, these chemicals are released to
stimulate the pleasure centers of the brain. These chemicals …
“include dopamine
and various endorphins. It has been specifically stated that physical exertion
can release endorphines in what is called the runner's high, and equally it has
been found that chocolate and certain spices, such as from the family of the
chili, can release or cause to be released similar psychoactive chemicals to
those released during sexual acts.”
Where do you get your “joy” from?
Some of us find ourselves addicted to pleasure from the wrong sorts of things.
Some
things are pretty dangerous to us in the long run:
There
are reasons why our country has made the use of certain drugs illegal. It’s
because they are dangerous.
Sexual
hookups with someone you’re not married to can be quite “pleasurable”. But it
is also dangerous.
You may try to talk yourself out of your initial guilt and
think that nobody’s getting hurt, but it’s going to do great damage to your
soul. It’s setting you up for extra trouble when you finally do get married.
Some
things aren’t necessarily evil, but they become distractions, substitutes for
what is “good” in our lives.
Personally,
I’m not sure that watching TV is necessarily an “evil” thing, though I know
that some of you would want to argue with me over that.
I’m
not even sure that playing video games is all that bad.
I
don’t think watching or participating in sports is evil.
But the problem comes when we substitute these “okay”
things for the things that God wants to be doing in our lives.
Instead
of pursuing the things of God, we are pursuing greater and greater amounts of
these “okay” things, trying to find “joy”.
We crowd God out of our lives.
God wants us to find joy in Him, in doing things His way.
One of the
things that the Holy Spirit wants to produce in our lives is “joy”
(Ga 5:22 NKJV) —22
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy,
peace …
Just being in
God’s presence ought to produce “joy” in us.
(Ps 16:11 NKJV)
You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are
pleasures forevermore.
In the days of Ezra and Nehemiah, the people had come back to Jerusalem
from having lived in exile in Babylon for seventy years. The people gathered in
an open square and listened as Ezra and the Levites read and explained God’s
Word to the people. When the people first heard God’s Words, they responded by
weeping because they began to realize that they as a nation had strayed so very
far from God.
(Ne 8:10–12 NKJV) —10 Then he said to
them, “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those
for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow,
for the joy of the Lord is your
strength.” 11 So the Levites quieted all the people, saying, “Be still, for the
day is holy; do not be grieved.” 12 And all the people went their way to eat
and drink, to send portions and rejoice greatly, because they understood the
words that were declared to them.
It is appropriate to weep over our sins.
But there comes a time when we need to turn to God and
find the joy that comes from being with Him. The joy that comes from God is our
“strength”, it’s what keeps us going.
:14 I have given
them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world,
just as I am not of the world.
:14 given – didomi
– to give
Perfect tense – something that
happens in the past and the results continue on to the present.
:15 I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You
should keep them from the evil one.
:15 I pray – erotao –
to question; to ask; to request, entreat, beg, beseech
Same word used in verse 9
:15 keep – tereo –
to attend to carefully, take care of; expresses watchful care and is suggestive
of present possession
Same word used in verse 11
:15 that You should
take them out of the world
Sometimes we get to thinking that the solution to our problems is to take
us away from them.
God doesn’t promise to take away our problems.
He doesn’t promise to take us out of this world.
Jesus prays that we be kept from the evil one.
:15 the evil one
– Satan, the devil
Satan is the
one who guides and directs the things in the world.
(1 Jn 5:19 NKJV) We
know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked
one.
Satan has plans
for your life, and they are not for your good.
(Jn 10:10 NKJV)
The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have
come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
Jesus prays that the disciples would be kept from the power of Satan. Jesus
prayed this for Peter specifically:
(Lk 22:31–32 NKJV)
—31 And the Lord said, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he
may sift you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not
fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.”
:16 They are
not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
:16 not of the world
The phrase in the Greek could read,
“not out of this world”
:17 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.
:17 Sanctify
– hagiazo – To make holy; to dedicate,
separate, set apart for God; to purify, make conformable in character to such
dedication
This word is
built on the word for “holy”, hagios.
This is the process that makes a person “holy”.
You could translate this prayer, “Make them holy by Your truth”.
It involves purity.
Would you drink
a bottle of water that was labeled “99% Pure”, and in the fine print it said
that it contained “1% Arsenic”?
No. You want water that is “100%
Pure”.
Illustration
Soap and Water
A pastor was
asked to dinner by a person who he knew as being a bad housekeeper. When he sat
down at the table, he noticed that the dishes were the dirtiest that he had
ever seen in his life. “Were these dishes ever washed?” he asked his hostess,
running his fingers over the grit and grime. She replied, “They’re as clean as
soap and water could get them”. He felt a bit apprehensive, but blessed the
food anyway and started eating. It was really delicious and he said so, despite
the dirty dishes. When dinner was over, the hostess took the dishes outside and
yelled, “Here Soap! Here Water!”
It involves purpose
It’s being “set apart” for God’s purpose.
It’s having a
sign hung around your neck that reads “For God’s Use Only”
Illustration
Our coffee pot
at home is a “holy” vessel. It has been “set apart” for one purpose, to make
coffee.
I do not use the coffee pot when I clean out our fish tank.
I do not use the coffee pot to drain the toilet when the toilet
gets clogged.
We
only use the coffee pot for making coffee.
Jesus prays for His disciples to be “sanctified”.
:18 As You sent
Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.
:19 And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified
by the truth.
:16 They are not of
the world
Lesson
The Believer and the World
We are to be “in the world, not of it”
Jesus told Pilate about His kingdom.
(Jn 18:36a NKJV) Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world…
We are citizens of this different “kingdom”. Paul wrote,
(Php 3:20 NKJV) For our citizenship is in
heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus
Christ,
Illustration
I was travelling
this last week. I was an American travelling in Russia and Hungary
As long as I had a translator, I could communicate, but for the most part I didn’t really
speak the language too well.
Even though I
was able to live in these foreign countries, I was still an American. Five days
in the Russian dorm living with Russians, eating Russian food, and communicating with
Russians did not make me a Russian. I was still an American.
When you became a believer in Jesus Christ, your citizenship changed.
You may be like
Drew, an American living in Russia. But you are still an American.
You may be like
Caleb, an American living in Hungary. He and his whole family are living in Hungary. There’s a
part of them that would love to be living in America, but there’s also a part
of them that loves being in Hungary, making a difference in Hungary, impacting
the world in Hungary.
You
and I are like foreigners living in a strange country.
Don’t forget where your true citizenship is from. Don’t
forget the country that you represent.
Being “in the world” but not “of it” is part of what it means to be “sanctified”.
:17 Sanctify them
by Your truth
Lesson
Sanctified in the Word
Jesus prayed that His disciples would be “sanctified”, purified, set apart
by God’s truth. He then clarifies that the
truth He’s talking about is God’s Word.
Purity
God’s Word cleanses us. It makes us
“pure”. It makes us cleaner than “soap
and water”.
(Eph 5:25–26 NKJV) —25
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave
Himself for her, 26 that
He might sanctify and cleanse
her with the washing of water by the word
Jesus cleanses us, the church, by the “water” of His Word.
There’s an old
computer programming phrase – GIGO – “Garbage In, Garbage Out”. If you build
your program with garbage code, you’re going to get garbage as a result.
If
you only put the garbage of this world into your mind – guess what kinds
of things are going to come out of your life?
But
if you learn to put God’s clean Word into your mind, you find that you
will think differently.
Are you having trouble with dirty thoughts? Try changing
what you feed your mind.
Purpose
God uses His word to guide us and give us direction as He “sets us apart”
for His use.
Have you ever wondered what your life is supposed to be all about?
God has a purpose for your life.
There is a reason why you are here.
(Eph 2:10 NKJV) For
we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God
prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
How do I find out what these things are that God has created me for?
Spend time in God’s Word.
(Ps 119:105 NKJV)
Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.
God will use His Word to change the direction of your
life.
:18 I also have
sent them into the world
Lesson
Sent to the world
Even though we are to be separate from the world, we are to be in the world
and we are even “sent” into the world.
God has a reason for us to be hanging around on this planet.
Illustration
Even though
there’s a part of me that enjoys travel and exploring new places, there’s also a part of me
that would be just fine with staying home.
At home everything is comfortable. You know where all your
“stuff” is.
On
the road, you are living out of a suitcase. You have to stay on your
toes or you’re going to get lost, maybe even miss your plane.
In flying between
Russia and Hungary, I had a ten hour layover last Sunday in the city of
Prague. I took advantage of that time
and took a taxi into the town to do some sightseeing. After a couple of hours, I was freezing, and
decided to head back to the airport so I could relax and not worry about
missing my plane. But I still had a long wait ahead of me. It wasn’t until a half hour before my
departure that I found out what gate I was to go to. The danger of a long
layover in an airport is that you might fall asleep and you end up missing your
flight.
When you are “sent into the world”, you have to stay
alert. You have to be ready to make
adjustments. You have to be open to God
giving you new instructions.
God hasn’t
called us to be comfortable. He’s called us to “go”.
(Mt 28:19 NKJV) Go
therefore and make disciples of all the nations…
There are people we know, people we will run into that need to know about
God’s Savior, Jesus Christ.
If we decide to live a “comfortable” life and just hang around with people
from our “kingdom”, there are going to be some people who will not hear about
God – people that God wants to speak to.
Illustration
There is a
story told about a faithful old deacon who was known for repeating a particular
prayer just about every time that he prayed.
He would pray, “O
Lord, touch the unsaved with Thy finger.”
One night during the prayer meeting, he was leading in prayer when he began
to pray that same prayer. But he stopped
abruptly in the middle of the prayer.
Someone thought he might have become ill and asked if there was anything
wrong.
“No,” he replied, “I’m not ill. But something seemed to say to me, ‘Thou art
the finger’.”